It was another Friday date night of roaming the city streets after work that led us here. I had been trying to bring Cheesecake Boy to Home Thai Restaurant for a while, but we always got side tracked or impatient me, was not going to wait. However, we were lucky that Friday, as we were early enough for once and managed to score a table in five minutes, the people waiting after us were not so lucky. The lure of the Thai desserts available, was the main reason why I wanted to eat here that night.
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| The entrance and the queue that followed |
We were led to the upstairs dining area, you really have to squish in. When I was going up, I noticed that the kitchen was in full force, it was only around 6pm at the time. Definitely, no time to be idle in there.
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| Hectic kitchen |
Cheesecake Boy wanted the pork skewers and they looked really good. They were perfectly marinated and tender and tasted really good too, until I decided to dump a heap of the accompanying sauce on top of both our skewers, as I assumed that it was a sweet sauce. However, the sauce was hot, super hot. Both our mouths were on fire, you know the kind where your mouth burns and tingles for a while afterwards. Regardless of the super spicy sauce, this was Cheesecake Boy's favourite dish of the night and my second favourite dish.
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| Moo mai: skewed pork neck marinated in herbs sauce served with chef's sauce, $10 |
I have no idea why I ordered the kanom jeeb at a Thai restaurant, as they are basically sui mai, but I'm glad I did as we needed something plain to make the pain of the sauce of the moo mai go away. They were simple and plump these sui mai, no surprises here.
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| Kanom jeeb: steamed pork, prawn, waterchest nut wrapped in wonton pastry served with black vinegar, $4.90 |
Our chilli tolerance must be at an all time low at the moment, as we had to order coconut juice to stop our mouths from burning, so we could keep eating. This was refreshing sweet and perfect for taking away the chilli burn.
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| Coconut juice, $3.50 |
Now, I don't usually order pork belly dishes at a Thai restaurants, as they are usually overcooked, not crisp enough or too salty. However, at the waitress' suggestion we decided to give this dish a go, as she claimed this was the most popular dish on the menu. After my first bite, I understood why. This ended up being my favourite dish of the night, if you get lost with the menu, it's number 38 on the menu under stir fried.
The pork is just crisp enough, so that the meat inside is not dried out but succulent and tender still. What really worked for me in this dish was the pik khing sauce, which is a curry paste of kaffir lime leaves and lemon grass. The contrast of the lemon grass in the pik khing sauce with the pork belly, really cut down the heaviness of the fried pork belly and gave this dish a lovely tang. This was heavenly, given that slight kick of chilli towards the end of each piece of pork, with the crunch of the beans.
The pork is just crisp enough, so that the meat inside is not dried out but succulent and tender still. What really worked for me in this dish was the pik khing sauce, which is a curry paste of kaffir lime leaves and lemon grass. The contrast of the lemon grass in the pik khing sauce with the pork belly, really cut down the heaviness of the fried pork belly and gave this dish a lovely tang. This was heavenly, given that slight kick of chilli towards the end of each piece of pork, with the crunch of the beans.
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| Pad pik khing: stir fried crispy pork belly with chilli, lime leaf, green bean and pik khing sauce, $13.90 |
Larb gai is a favourite of Cheesecake Boy's but this one did not deliver, much to our disappointment. It was too salty for my liking, and it didn't have the refreshing sweet and sour elements in the dressing to balance out the saltiness. It felt more like a mince chicken main than a refreshing salad.
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| Larb gai: minced chicken with shallot, coriander, mint long leaf coriander, chilli powder, grinded rice and chef's dressing, $10.90 |
Unfortunately, we were so full after the mains. The initial intention to finish with the deep fried bread sticks with custard for dessert, was not going to happen that night. We felt defeated, considering that there was a couple of girls next to us who ordered another two dishes more than us and were still happily going. We walked out completely stuffed, but laughing as Cheesecake Boy's mouth is still tingling and we're commiserating about our chilli intolerance from that sauce. It doesn't deter us though, as Cheesecake Boy promises me we'll come back, so I can get my dessert. I'm just relieved that I missed that persistent queue, that seems to be here whether it's lunch or dinner.
Happy eating, Dumpling Girl.
Home Thai Restaurant
Shop 1 - 2
299 Sussex Street
Sydney NSW 2000
Ph: (02) 9261 5058
http://www.homethai.com.au/
5 comments:
ooh that crispy pork belly looks to die for!
The queues here are getting like Chat Thai, but I love to see more crispy pork! Mmmm. Haven't eaten here more than once, and I didn't get to try dessert yet either. ;-)
Hi chocolatesuze, the pork belly is fantastic, and I am not a big meat eater.
Hello Joey, you're right, the queues are exactly like Chat Thai's. May be on our next visit, we'll finally get some dessert :)
Oooh yes - that pork belly please! Been meaning to go here, but if the queues are like Chat Thai...
Hi Tina, yes the pork belly is worth it for a slight wait. If you get there early enough then you won't have to wait long at all. I don't like queues either :)
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